Dalmellington
East Ayrshire
Electorate3,051 (2003)
Major settlementsDalmellington
Scottish Parliament constituencyCarrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Scottish Parliament regionSouth Scotland
UK Parliament constituencyAyr, Carrick and Cumnock
1974 (1974)–2007 (2007)
Number of councillors1
Replaced byDoon Valley
Cumnock and New Cumnock

Dalmellington was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1974, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

The ward was a Labour stronghold as the party successfully held the seat at every election after gaining it from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1992 until it was abolished. In 1988, Dalmelington was the only ward in Scotland won by the newly formed SDP – a breakaway party from the Social and Liberal Democrats which was formed by a merger of the original Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party.

In 2007, the ward was abolished and replaced by the multi-member Doon Valley ward as council elections moved to a proportional voting system – the single transferable vote – following the implementation of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004.

Boundaries

The Dalmellington ward was created in 1974 by the Formation Electoral Arrangements from the previous Dalmellington South electoral division of Ayr County Council. The ward centered around the town of Dalmellington and took in the southern part of Cumnock and Doon Valley next to its borders with Kyle and Carrick District Council and Stewartry District Council.[1] The boundaries remained largely unchanged following the Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1981.[2] A review in 1986 into the boundaries between the Cumnock and Doon Valley and Kyle and Carrick district councils saw an area to the south of Dalmellington transferred from Kyle and Carrick to Cumnock and Doon Valley which extended the council area to the boundary with Wigtown District Council and included the whole of Loch Doon within Cumnock and Doon Valley. All of the area transferred was included within the Dalmellington ward.[3] Following the Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1994, the ward's eastern boundary was moved west to reduce it in area as a result of the 1986 review.[4] After the implementation of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, the boundaries proposed by the second review became the Formation Electoral Arrangements for the newly created East Ayrshire Council – an amalgamation of Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council and Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council. In 1998, the Third Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements made minor alterations to the wards northern boundary ahead of the 1999 election.[5] In 2007, the ward was abolished as the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 saw proportional representation and new multi-member wards introduced. The vast majority of the area covered by the Dalmellington ward was placed into the new Doon Valley ward and a small area became part of the Cumnock and New Cumnock ward.[6]

Councillors

Election Councillor
1974 R. Hill
1977 A. Johnstone
1984 T. Gormanley
1988 M. Ali
1992 H. Hatton
1995 R. Taylor
2003 E. Stewart

Election results

2003 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Elaine Stewart 789 52.7 Increase 1.1
SNP Andrew Filson 645 43.1 Increase 25.2
Conservative James Boswell 40 2.7 New
Scottish Socialist Anne Baker 23 1.5 New
Majority 144 9.6 Decrease 11.5
Turnout 1,497 58.6 Decrease 2.5
Registered electors 2,555
Labour hold Swing Decrease 12.0

Source:[7][8]

1999 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R. Taylor 864 51.6 Decrease 33.6
Independent H. O'Neill 511 30.5 New
SNP N. Gee 299 17.9 Increase 3.1
Majority 353 21.1 Decrease 49.3
Turnout 1,674 61.1 Increase 16.9
Registered electors 2,781
Labour hold Swing Decrease 32.0

Source:[8][9]

1995 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R. Taylor 1,127 85.2 Increase 27.5
SNP A. Lambert 196 14.8 New
Majority 931 70.4 Increase 54.9
Turnout 1,323 44.2 Increase 6.8
Registered electors 2,991
Labour hold Swing Increase 34.8

Source:[9][10]

1992 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Hattan 897 57.7 Increase 27.3
Independent M. Ali 656 42.2 New
Majority 241 15.5 N/A
Turnout 1,553 51.0 Decrease 14.0
Registered electors 3,050
Labour gain from SDP Swing Increase 41.9

Source:[10][11]

1988 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SDP M. Ali 1,163 56.5 New[note 1]
Labour H. Walker 626 30.4 Decrease 21.0
Independent T. Gormanley 171 8.3 New
SNP D. Kerr 96 4.7 New
Majority 537 26.1 N/A
Turnout 2,056 65.0 Increase 16.2
Registered electors 3,166
SDP gain from Labour Swing Increase 28.2

Source:[11][12]

1984 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour T. Gormanley 790 51.4 Increase 16.8
SDP W. Steele 744 48.4 New
Majority 46 3.0 N/A
Turnout 1,534 48.8 Increase 2.4
Registered electors 3,151
Labour gain from Independent Swing Increase 40.8

Source:[12][13]

1980 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent A. Johnstone 942 64.8 Increase 23.9
Labour A. Gormanley 503 34.6 Increase 13.6
Majority 439 30.2 Increase 24.4
Turnout 1,445 46.4 Decrease 4.0
Registered electors 3,134
Independent hold Swing Increase 29.5

Source:[13][14]

1977 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent A. Johnstone 682 40.9
SLP J. Stewart 585 35.1
Labour P. Conway 350 21.0
Independent R. Hill 50 3.0
Majority 97 5.8
Turnout 1,667 50.4
Registered electors 3,309
Independent gain from Labour

Source:[14][15]

1974 election

Dalmellington
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour R. Hill Unopposed
Registered electors 3,353
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ At the 1984 election, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) won 48.4% of the vote in Dalmellington. They subsequently merged with the Liberal Party in March 1988 to form the Social and Liberal Democrats. Some members of the SDP opposed the merger and split to form a new Social Democratic Party.

References

  1. ↑ "Formation Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Administrative area reviews 1977 to 1994". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  4. ↑ "Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Third Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. September 1998. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  7. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (2003). Local Elections Handbook 2003 (PDF). Plymouth: Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre, University of Plymouth. ISBN 0-948858-35-4. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1999). Local Elections Handbook 1999 (PDF). Plymouth: Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre, University of Plymouth. ISBN 0-948858-25-7. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  9. 1 2 Botchel, H. M.; Denver, D. T. (1995). The Scottish Council Elections 1995: Results and Statistics (PDF). Newport on Tay: Election Studies. ISBN 1-869820-35-5. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  10. 1 2 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1992). The Scottish Council Elections 1992: Results and Statistics (PDF). Dundee: Election Studies, University of Dundee. ISBN 1-869820-04-5. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  11. 1 2 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1989). The Scottish District Elections 1988: Results and Statistics (PDF). Dundee: Election Studies, University of Dundee. ISBN 1-869820-02-9. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  12. 1 2 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1984). The Scottish District Elections 1984: Results and Statistics (PDF). Dundee: Election Studies, University of Dundee. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  13. 1 2 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1980). The Scottish District Elections 1980: Results and Statistics (PDF). Dundee: Election Studies, University of Dundee. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  14. 1 2 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1977). The Scottish District Elections 1977: Results and Statistics (PDF). Dundee: Election Studies, University of Dundee. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  15. 1 2 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1975). The Scottish Local Government Elections 1974: Results and Statistics (PDF). Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
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